For the Ephesians, he has this message: “I know your deeds, and your labor and endurance, and that you cannot bear bad men, and that you put those to the test who say they are apostles, but they are not, and you found them liars.

Revelation 2:2,

Years before, the apostle Paul had warned the Ephesian elders about “oppressive wolves,” apostate disturbers of the flock, and had told those elders to “keep awake,” following his own tireless example. (Acts 20:29, 31)

 3. (a) How have “false apostles” sought to deceive faithful ones in our days? (b) What warning about apostates did Peter give?

³ During the Lord’s day, too, there have appeared “false apostles” who “speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (2 Corinthians 11:13; Acts 20:30; Revelation 1:10) They see good in all the conflicting sectarian religions, claim that God does not have an organization, and deny that Jesus received Kingdom power in 1914. They fulfill the prophecy at 2 Peter 3:3, 4: “In the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: ‘Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.’”

 4. (a) How is the pride and rebelliousness of ridiculers manifested? (b) Christians today show that they are like the Ephesians by taking what action against lying opposers?

⁴ These ridiculers rebel at the thought of making public declaration of their faith. (Romans 10:10) They have enlisted the support of Christendom’s clergy and the aid of news journals and TV stations to spread lying reports about their former associates. Faithful ones soon find that the speech and conduct of these deceivers do not ring true. Like the Ephesians, Christians today “cannot bear bad men,” so they disfellowship them from their congregations.a